Truffles
Treasure hidden underground
Truffles or Tubers (lat. Tuber
) are a genus of underground fungi from the family Tuberaceae
whose fruiting body grows on average from 5 to 30 cm, and since they resemble tubers, their appearance is often compared to potatoes. They are found between 10 and 30 cm under the ground, and must develop in symbiosis with the roots of trees, most often beech, oak, willow, poplar, and elm. They are specific for their strong, penetrating scent that reminds of garlic and old cheese, and the two most significant species are black truffle (lat. Tuber melanosporum
) and white truffle (lat. Tuber magnatum
), of which white truffle is considered the highest quality and achieves the highest value. These gourmet mushrooms grow all over Europe, Asia, North and South America, but the most significant sources are considered to be in France and Italy. In Croatia, the most famous truffle site is the Mirna river valley in Istria. The search or so-called truffle hunting is led by a truffle expert, while specially trained dogs find the truffles themselves with their refined smell. In the past, pigs were used for the job of finding the truffle itself because they were extremely skilled in finding them, their only flaw was that they usually ate everything they found immediately.
The first records of truffles appear in the record of the Roman writer and scientist, Pliny the Elder under the title "Naturalis Historia“
, and in the 1st century BC, thanks to the Greek philosopher Plutarch from Cheronea, the belief spread that this valuable fungus was the result of a combination of water, heat, and lightning, which inspired many writers, including the Roman writer Juvenal who believed that truffles came from a thunderbolt that Jupiter, the father of gods, threw near the then holy tree, the oak. Since Jupiter was always known for his sexual activity, truffle properties were always attributed to aphrodisiacs.
The first book about truffles was written by Italian Alfonso Ciccarelli in 1564, and French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort was the first to observe them in more detail and describe them at the beginning of the 18th century. The greatest advancement in gastronomy, these mushrooms of intense taste and specific scent, took place during the Renaissance and modern times when they came from a long-kept secret of peasants to the kings and represented the tastiest dinners for noble society. In the courts across Europe, truffles could only be found on the menu at the beginning of the 18th century, but once they started to be recognized, they increasingly gained value, and today they have become an indispensable delicacy on tables around the world.
Giacomo Morra, owner of a restaurant in Alba in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, celebrated truffles and truffle dishes from the 1930s, and in 1933 the London Times proclaimed him as king of the truffles.
By studying truffles, scientists have found that they contain an active ingredient which undoubtedly improves mood and affects the feeling of pleasure. Anandamide, found in its natural form in animal brains that is responsible for triggering feelings of wellbeing, is also found in breast milk, which encourages the child's desire to breastfeed.
, and in the 1st century BC, thanks to the Greek philosopher Plutarch from Cheronea, the belief spread that this valuable fungus was the result of a combination of water, heat, and lightning, which inspired many writers, including the Roman writer Juvenal who believed that truffles came from a thunderbolt that Jupiter, the father of gods, threw near the then holy tree, the oak. Since Jupiter was always known for his sexual activity, truffle properties were always attributed to aphrodisiacs.
The first book about truffles was written by Italian Alfonso Ciccarelli in 1564, and French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort was the first to observe them in more detail and describe them at the beginning of the 18th century. The greatest advancement in gastronomy, these mushrooms of intense taste and specific scent, took place during the Renaissance and modern times when they came from a long-kept secret of peasants to the kings and represented the tastiest dinners for noble society. In the courts across Europe, truffles could only be found on the menu at the beginning of the 18th century, but once they started to be recognized, they increasingly gained value, and today they have become an indispensable delicacy on tables around the world.
Giacomo Morra, owner of a restaurant in Alba in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, celebrated truffles and truffle dishes from the 1930s, and in 1933 the London Times proclaimed him as king of the truffles.
By studying truffles, scientists have found that they contain an active ingredient which undoubtedly improves mood and affects the feeling of pleasure. Anandamide, found in its natural form in animal brains that is responsible for triggering feelings of wellbeing, is also found in breast milk, which encourages the child's desire to breastfeed.
Today, white truffles (lat. Tuber Magnatum Pico
) from Istria and the Italian region of Piedmont are the most valued and expensive type of truffle, and the Motovun Forest, located in the north-central part of Istria, around the medieval town of Motovun, remains registered in the Guinness World Records, as the place where the restaurant owner, Giancarlo Zigante, found the largest white truffle in the world on November 2, 1999, with his dog, which weighed 1310 grams, suitably named Millenium. Even though this truffle could have reached an immensely high price, it ended up as the main ingredient for a dinner for a hundred guests and became the first promoter of Istrian truffles.
Throughout the history of man, the truffle has been present in almost all eras, and with its peculiarity, it has seduced all social classes, and a long time has passed since it was only food for the gods and today, thankfully, everyone can enjoy it. The offer of Adria truffles and tartufata can be found exclusively in Deliiicije shops and on the web store.
) from Istria and the Italian region of Piedmont are the most valued and expensive type of truffle, and the Motovun Forest, located in the north-central part of Istria, around the medieval town of Motovun, remains registered in the Guinness World Records, as the place where the restaurant owner, Giancarlo Zigante, found the largest white truffle in the world on November 2, 1999, with his dog, which weighed 1310 grams, suitably named Millenium. Even though this truffle could have reached an immensely high price, it ended up as the main ingredient for a dinner for a hundred guests and became the first promoter of Istrian truffles.
Throughout the history of man, the truffle has been present in almost all eras, and with its peculiarity, it has seduced all social classes, and a long time has passed since it was only food for the gods and today, thankfully, everyone can enjoy it. The offer of Adria truffles and tartufata can be found exclusively in Deliiicije shops and on the web store.
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